Joseph Ross is the author of five books of poetry, including Crushed & Crowned (2023). He teaches high school in Washington, D.C. and writes at www.JosephRoss.net.
Posts By This Author
If Only
Illustration by Laura Freeman
For Elijah McClain (1996-2019). Killed by police in Aurora, Colo., he was known as a gentle soul who played his violin to soothe anxious animals in shelters.
If only a violin could redeem
the world.
Your skin, glowing like the violin’s wood,
might still sing its humble lament.
Luke 5:1 Disciples
This time they are the ones cauth, though they try to close their eyes.
Audio Reading and Interview with Joseph Ross
Hear Joseph Ross read his poem, Luke 5:1 Disciples.
The Church is Already Split
My concern with "Should the Church Split Over Gay and Lesbian Christians?" (February 2004 cover) is simple: For gay and lesbian Christians, the church has been split for a long, long time.
A Man Playing the Flute from a Cliff Above the Pacific
Indigo true
purest blue,
a man on a cliff
waits with open hands
and closed eyes
to receive
a breath.